What Is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)?

The short answer

Answer engine optimisation is the work of getting your company named and cited in answers from AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude. It builds on SEO. The difference is the goal: being quoted in an answer, not only ranking in a list of links.

AEO at a glance

• Goal: Be named and cited in AI answers
• Also called: GEO, or generative engine optimisation
• Builds on: SEO, structured data and clear writing
• Measured by: Mentions and citations across a fixed set of prompts

How it differs from SEO

• Unit. SEO targets keywords. AEO targets questions.
• Result. A mention in an answer, with or without a click.
• Sources. Third-party pages matter as much as your own.
• Format. Short direct answers, facts and FAQs are easier to quote.

Where to start

• List the questions buyers ask.
• Answer each on its own page, with the answer first.
• Add FAQ and organisation schema.
• Keep company facts identical everywhere.
• Check every month.

Studio Huncho builds answer-first pages, schema and clean HTML into the websites we design. See SaaS website design.

Related reading: How to Get Recommended by ChatGPT, Does Schema Markup Help AI Assistants Find Your Company?

FAQ

Is AEO the same as GEO?

In practice, yes. Both describe optimising for AI answers.

Does AEO replace SEO?

No. Good SEO is the base, and AI assistants often search the web to answer.

How long does it take?

Expect months, not days. Answers change as assistants crawl again and models update.

Building a site that search engines and AI tools can read? Talk to us.